“Genomic Selection in Plant Breeding: Essence, Applications, and Prospects”

Dr. Diana Marcela Escamilla Sanchez,

Friday, May 1^st, 2026

Agronomy 3022, 12:00-1:00pm

Session Description: Genomic selection (GS) has become a transformative strategy in modern plant breeding, enabling prediction-based selection decisions by leveraging genome-wide marker data and predictive modeling. GS has allowed breeders to move beyond traditional phenotypic selection, accelerating breeding cycles and increasing genetic gain.

This seminar will provide an intuitive and practical overview of GS, drawing from both foundational concepts and real-world perspectives developed through academic training and applied breeding experience. Key topics will include the essence of GS, factors influencing prediction accuracy, and how training population design and modeling choices impact outcomes. We will also explore how GS is integrated into modern breeding pipelines to improve selection efficiency, concluding with the future prospects of GS in the era of Artificial Intelligence and "omics" integration.

This seminar is based on a recent review synthesizing the essence, applications, and prospects of  genomic selection and will be presented by Diana Escamilla, Ph.D., a Plant Breeding Scientist at Avalo with a focus on the genetic improvement of major row crops. She holds a Ph.D. and Master’s in Plant Breeding and Genetics, where she specialized in the intersection of quantitative theory and applied breeding programs. Prior to her current role at Avalo, Dr. Escamilla served as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in Dr. Jianming Yu’s Research lab at Iowa State University.